Stop Food Waste Day
This year’s Stop Food Waste Day is very prevalent and we’ve been naturally steered to utilising all of our food. Although this is mainly for conscious money saving, let’s make it stick and teach us to always maximise the use of our food, therefore reducing waste.
According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) more than £19 billion worth of food is wasted in the UK annually, with the average UK family throwing away £730 worth every year.
Here are some ideas to help us all contribute to reducing those numbers:
- Make smoothies with any leftover fruit and vegetables.
- Use your ripe fruit to make a sweet loaf or cake, to share with your family and friends.
- Stews, soups, salads, stir fry’s and curries are great for using up foods that you just don’t know what to do with!
- Cook and eat the skin and stems of food, which are often the most nutritionally rich element. Broccoli stems are as flavoursome as its florets and this green vegetable is brimming with vitamin A, for skin health benefits.
- Pickle your food. You can do this with a number of fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and eggs.
- Store your food in the right places, to help preserve them.
- Shop realistically and less frequently, planning your meals ahead and avoiding unnecessary impulse buys.
- Avoid over-filling your fridge and cupboards. Out of sight, out of mind can equal waste.
- Be conscious of portion sizes, eating only what you need to avoid wasting the rest of your plate.
- Batch cook and freeze, so that you use all your fresh produce before it goes out of date.
- Best before and use by dates are a guideline. Trust your senses to determine whether your food is still fit for consumption.
- If you have food that may be coming to date or you do not anticipate using, check with your family, friends, and neighbours to see if it may be useful to them.
- Donate unwanted tins and dried foods to food banks.
For more support and tips on reducing your household food waste, we recommend visiting Love Food Hate Waste.
